A new musical adaptation of the hit 1993 film Groundhog Day has been given the green light for a production at The Old Vic Theatre next year, following a second workshop in London last month.
The new musical features music and lyrics by Australian musical comic, Tim Minchin and will be directed by incoming artistic director of The Old Vic, Matthew Warchus. This pairing is a proven recipe for West End success, with Minchin and Warchus having previously collaborated on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s award-winning musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda. Danny Rubin, the hand that penned the brilliant original screenplay, will write the script for the screen-to-stage adaptation.
Groundhog Day follows the story of an irritable weatherman, who is sent to the small Pennsylvanian town of Punxsutawney to record a live weather report. But the bad-tempered reporter gets stuck in a time loop, forcing him to live the same day over and over again. The original film version of Groundhog Day was directed by Harold Ramis and stared Andie MacDowell and Bill Murray.
An the announcement of the news, Tim Minchin stated ‘It is a true comedy classic. However, it would be impossible to try to translate the style and tone of the movie to stage and even if it were possible, it wouldn’t interest me. Our version of Groundhog Day is going to be both instantly recognizable, and utterly different. The central conceit is perfectly suited to the theatre, in my opinion. In fact, I think many of its ideas could be enhanced by the stage. It has the potential to be complex, dark, visually fascinating, and thematically rich, whilst still being a joyous romantic comedy with cool tunes and lots of gags. It’s certainly not an easy job, but I’m truly honoured and genuinely excited!’
The musical started life back in July 2012, after an initial workshop. However, rumours have been circulating about the possibility of the production opening in New York, not London. It seems that the show may eventually find a home on Broadway, but for the time being, the West End seems to be the preferred home for this hotly anticipated new musical comedy.
